Beaumont Hospital in Troy, Mich., Aspirus Wausau Hospital in Wausau, Wis., and Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford, Ore., topped IBM Watson Health’s 2020 lists of the best cardiovascular hospitals in the U.S.
It’s the 21st year IBM has ranked American CV hospitals, and this year’s Watson Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals study included 989 U.S. hospitals with cardiovascular service lines. IBM ranks institutions based on “independent and objective research” and considers both hospital and health system performance.
According to a release from the company, if all Medicare inpatients received the same level of cardiovascular care as those treated in the top-ranking facilities, more than 11,000 additional lives could be saved and over 2,800 more heart patients could be complication-free. Raising the standard would also save the U.S. healthcare system $1.5 billion.
Compared with hospitals that fell lower on the list, winning CV hospitals saw 28.7% to 47.4% higher inpatient survival rates, 6.3% to 27.7% fewer complications and lower average 30-day episode of care payments for acute MI and heart failure ($1,323 and $706 less per episode, respectively). Analysts also found that top hospitals generated $1,485 to $6,704 less in total costs per patient case than lower-ranked institutions.
“Our data-driven study highlights top hospitals that have achieved an outstanding balance of clinical and operational excellence in a complex healthcare landscape,” Kyu Rhee, MD, VP and Chief Health Officer at IBM Watson Health, said in a statement. “In addition to showcasing the best in heart health, we believe that our study provides attainable and actionable benchmarks for hospital leaders across the country as they work to raise their own organizations’ standards of performance.”
The five highest-ranked hospitals in three categories are as follows:
Teaching hospitals with cardiovascular residency programs
- Beaumont Hospital in Troy, Mich.
- Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, Pa.
- Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, Calif.
- Kettering Medical Center in Kettering, Ohio
- Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington, Mass.
Teaching hospitals without cardiovascular residency programs
- Aspirus Wausau Hospital in Wausau, Wis.
- Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Waco, Texas
- Christus St. Michael Health System in Texarkana, Texas
- Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Fla.
- Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport, Tenn.
Community hospitals
- Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford, Ore.
- Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Round Rock, Texas
- Bellin Health in Green Bay, Wis.
- Carolinas Medical Center Mercy-Pineville in Charlotte, N.C.
- Columbus Regional Hospital in Columbus, Ind.
Find IBM’s full report here.
After graduating from Indiana University-Bloomington with a bachelor’s in journalism, Anicka joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering cardiology. Close to her heart is long-form journalism, Pilot G-2 pens, dark chocolate and her dog Harper Lee.